Titanic secrets shared

Special to The Record

Published Monday, November 05, 2007

During its October monthly meeting, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 14-7, St. Augustine learned about secrets of the Titanic from local marine archeologist, Mike Arbuthnot. Arbuthnot and his wife Serena were guests of the Flotilla where Arbuthnot made an interactive presentation to its members of an expedition that he took with filmmaker James Cameron to the Titanic in 2005. His visit was documented in a special on The Discovery Channel Last Mysteries of the Titanic.

The sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912, was depicted in several films, perhaps most famously in the 1997 film by James Cameron. During Arbuthnot's presentation he explained that, during the sinking, the stern separated from the bow and how they came to rest on the floor of the ocean. From the Russian research vessel Kelsysh, Arbuthnot joined James Cameron and Anatoly Sagalevitch aboard a small submersible, the Mir II, to explore the Titanic. Arbuthnot explained the challenges of the dive as well as filming techniques which including the use of fiber optics. Amazing shots of the ship included the bow and anchor covered by growths called rusticles. Using small remote-operated vehicles, compartments within the Titanic were explored and photographed. Some of the more memorable shots included the grand staircase, the Marconi room (where early wireless technology was used for communication), an intact voltage meter, fine china (still stacked in place), a clock in the Straus room, tiles in the Turkish bath and lounge chairs, just to name a few.

For information about Arbuthnot's adventures, go to:

* dsc.discovery.com/convergence/titanic/titanic.html

or

* www.discoverychannel.co.uk/titanic/expedition_videos/archaeologist/

Friendship is theme

Theme of Beta Sigma Phi is "Sing the Song of Friendship," and with this in mind Yvonne Pearrow, a member of Alpha Upsilon Mater presented a program on the life and times of the Andrews Sisters.

The meeting was held at the home of Nettie Ruth Brown. Ingrid Guier was a guest.

During a time when teens were doing the jitterbug and Uncle Sam was asking young men to enlist, the Andrews Sisters were the most popular group, she told sorority members.They were the most profitable stage attraction in the nation in the 1940s and were very active in the patriotic duty of entertaining during war time. One of their most memorable recordings was "I Can Dream, Can't I?"

The sisters were important figures in the entertainment world for about 30 years.